Thank you guys so much!
We will be flying in and would prefer to not have to rent a car unless I absolutely have to. Do most of the hotels have shuttles to and from the airport?
Also food options, any budget tips?
The Orleans is a bit isolated, so it's going to be a bit difficult to get around without a car. But it can be done, since they have a free shuttle to Bill's at mid-strip. But it only operates every 30-45 minutes.
http://www.orleanscasino.com/things-to-do/shuttle-service
No hotels have free airport transportation, unless you're a high-roller, in which case they'll send a limo. There are numerous shuttle services (e.g. BellTrans). But with 3 people, it may be just as cheap to grab a taxi. Price it out to see.
As for food, I've always liked the buffet at the Orleans. Not nearly as fancy as something like Bellagio's, but very fairly priced, and pretty good.
Flamingo could end up being a good choice for you. It's right next door to Bill's, where the Orleans shuttle picks up. And it's right mid-strip, allowing you to walk to free shows like the Bellagio water show, the Mirage volcano, etc. And they have a great pool.
If you stay at Flamingo, you'll be right in the middle of most the buffets included in the
Buffet of Buffets. $40 for 24 hrs of buffets, if you get a free Harrah's card. And most of them are a short walk from Flamingo. Mind you, I could never do that many buffets in a row. But for a family with teens, it could be a reasonable thing to do once. Hint -- it's 24 hours, not 3 meals. If you buy it in time for a late dinner on the first night, you can still use it for breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner on the 2nd night. That way you get 4 meals out of it.
Oh, and if you stay at Mandalay Bay for its fabulous pools, there's a tram that you can take as far as Tropicana, across from New York. That gets you within walking distance to a bunch of hotels/casinos. From there, you can walk past New York to the Monte Carlo, where you catch another tram to Bellagio. See the bottom of
this page. Although the Monte Carlo - Bellagio tram is marked as future, it's there and operating now.
HTH,
Bob